Recommendations to advance equity in tobacco control.

Reducing racial and socioeconomic inequities in smoking has been declared a priority for tobacco control in the USA for several decades. Yet despite the rhetoric, these inequities persist and some have actually worsened over time. Although tobacco companies have targeted racially and ethnically diverse and lower-income tobacco users, which substantially contributes to these disparities, less attention has been given to the role of individuals and organisations within the tobacco control movement who have allowed progress in eliminating disparities to stagnate.

Stewarding Opioid Settlement Funds with Transparency and Equity: An Interview with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina had seen encouraging reductions in opioid overdose deaths. In the years since, this trend has unfortunately reversed. In this interview, Guest Editor Carrie Rosario talks with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein about how the state will use settlement funds to prevent future overdose deaths.

Shifting Loci of Responsibility Upstream to Advance Healthy Behavior and Equity.

Healthy behaviors contribute to healthy people and communities, and a prosperous state. They are, however, more than simply individual choices. This issue of the contextualizes current behavioral trends, progress toward advancing healthy behaviors, and policy levers to address substance use, sugary drink consumption, and sexual health practices.

Nativity Status and Poly Tobacco Use among Young Adults in the United States.

: Young adults are the second largest segment of the immigrant population in the United States (US). Given recent trends in later age of initiation of tobacco use, we examined variation in use of tobacco products by nativity status for this population group. : Our study included young adults 18-30 years of age sampled in the National Health Interview Survey (2015-2019), a nationally representative sample of the US population.

[Un]Forgetting History: Preparing Public Health Professionals to Address Structural Racism.

Context: Structural racism, a fundamental cause of health inequities, must be dismantled to fulfill society's interest in ensuring conditions in which all people have opportunities conducive to health. Correspondingly, the Ten Essential Public Health Services center equity, and Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation criteria require public health students to learn about racism. However, little guidance is provided to help faculty empower future generations of public health professionals to challenge it.

Tobacco Advertisements: What Messages Are They Sending in African American Communities?

Racial disparities in tobacco-related death and disease persist. Despite evidence of disparities in exposure to tobacco retailers and point-of-sale advertising, little is known about the extent to which tobacco advertisements within African American communities use three prominent messaging strategies: reassure use is safe despite health risks, redirect attention from health risks to other product features, or incite bravery to use despite health risks. Using a multistage design, we examined tobacco advertisements at 24 retail stores listed on Countertools.

An examination of ecological predictors of health literacy in black college students.

Objective: Health literacy is a determinant of health, but disparities in health literacy persist. This study examined the influence of ecological factors on college students' health literacy.

Participants: During January 2016 a nonrandom sample of black undergraduate students (n = 298) aged 18-24 were recruited from enrollment lists at two urban universities in the Southeastern United States.

Quantifying littered cigarette butts to measure effectiveness of smoking bans to building perimeters.

Objective: The authors estimated the number of violations of a university policy that prohibited smoking within 25 ft of all campus buildings.

Participants: The project was conducted by 13 student researchers from the university and a member of the local public health department.

Methods: Students quantified cigarette butts that were littered in a 30-day period inside the prohibited smoking area of 7 campus buildings (large residential hall, small residential hall, administrative building, 2 academic buildings, campus cafeteria, and student union).